Reconciliation WA is Western Australia’s peak body for reconciliation and partners with Reconciliation Australia.  

We provide leadership, advocacy and support to people and organisations driving the reconciliation movement in Western Australia.

We focus on the creation of social and economic outcomes to ensure the cultures, rights and contributions of Aboriginal Peoples are valued and respected.

We know the importance of education and educators in promoting a more aware and inclusive society by educating young people and their families.

Reconciliation WA’s education team supports educators in implementing the cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History and Cultures and the Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework.

One way we do this is through developing school-based Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) with the resources of Narragunnawali.

Narragunnawali is our national partner providing curriculum and professional learning resources for schools and teachers free of charge through their website here.

They are the main provider of RAP resources for schools and early learning services.

Last year, we were thrilled to be there in Canberra celebrating the success of Winterfold Primary School (pictured above right) becoming the first WA school to win the national biennial Narragunnawali Awards for schools with RAPs.  

However, that’s not all. This year we launched the Year 4 Reconciliation in Education Program. As we are housed at The Constitutional Centre of WA (40 Havelock Street, West Perth), the hour-long lessons to students at our premises address civics and citizenship in the HASS curriculum.

Our program can be done by itself or in concert with other programs provided by Constitutional Education at The Constitutional Centre of WA.

Please see their programs separately here.

The Year 4 Reconciliation in Education Program presents a quality educational lesson designed by experienced teachers and focuses on comparing modern law and traditional lore.

Our presenters explore the differences between the Westminster system and the cultural knowledge of the Traditional Owners of this land from the past 60,000+ years.

Students participate in a yarning circle and have the chance to formulate their own ideas about reconciliation and what that means for them.

Our first offering received exciting reviews from teachers and students who took part in our Year 4 pilot in 2023.

Schools can book to do both the constitutional education and our reconciliation lesson on site or invite Reconciliation WA to their schools to provide a lesson co-facilitated by an Aboriginal and a non-Aboriginal presenter.  

In 2024, we will continue to develop more lessons for upper primary. Teachers who would like their students to enjoy the Year 4 program or take part in the Year 5/6 program later this year can enquire on our website here or by contacting Reconciliation WA directly (6552 6990 or admin@recwa.org.au).

Future offerings around anti-racism strategies and trials are heading our way in coming months, so stay tuned to our website and social media pages as we launch these resources.  

What if you are not an upper primary teacher? We invite you to join us and other educators for our Reconciliation Industry Network Group (RING) for Education.

We run events each term that offer educators the opportunity to network with others and learn more about how to implement culturally responsive programs in their classrooms.

We encourage teachers to subscribe to our free seasonal newsletter to access lots of events and resources here.

We are also the main state provider of National Reconciliation Week
(NRW) events.  

In addition to community events, we create booklists and lesson resource links to support schools in running NRW events and teaching in their school.

This year’s theme is Now More Than Ever and events will run throughout the week (27 May-3 June). Keep an eye on our website for further details.

If none of that addresses your needs, feel free to contact our Education Manager Pamela Chatfield at pamela@recwa.org.au to see how we can tailor support to your requirements.

Perhaps you might like to invite us to your next network PD day to provide some professional learning.

Our focus is ensuring educators feel prepared and excited about sharing First Nations cultures and histories in an authentic and genuine way.